During a town hall meeting in New Jersey on Friday, Republican presidential nominee John McCain reiterated his pledge to "get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice." Amazingly, McCain was able to make his promise without his signature line about following Bin Laden to "the gates of hell." Even more amazing, McCain cited swimming as the skill American intelligence operatives will need to help him do it.

McCain promised his Garden State audience that he, unlike George W. Bush, would get Bin Laden dead or alive:

"I will look you in the eye and promise you that I will get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice," McCain said in response to a direct question from one of the 2,000 people in attendance at the college's Pemberton campus gym.

McCain said the key to ending the long search for bin Laden was to increase the number of human spies abroad.

"We need better human intelligence. We need people who can swim in the water," McCain said.

McCain, of course, was speaking metaphorically. Referring not to aquatically proficient spies who would make their way overland to Waziristan after first swimming across the Indian Ocean, McCain was instead describing agents capable of seamlessly mixing in among the peoples of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But when it comes to metaphors for tracking down Osama Bin Laden, John McCain can always be counted on to make that proverbial chase to the gates of hell. In May 2007, McCain described himself as the dog that'll hunt:

"We will do whatever is necessary. We will track him down. We will capture him. We will bring him to justice, and I will follow him to the gates of Hell."

Last October, McCain told workers at a small weapons factory in New Hampshire:

"I will follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell and I will shoot him with your products."

And in January, McCain reassured suspicious South Carolina voters as well, just in case they had missed his earlier promises on the point:

"My friends, I want to stand before you now and tell you that if I have to follow him to the gates of hell I will get Osama Bin Laden and I will bring him to justice. I will get him!"

As McCain has also pointed out, his willingness to journey to hell (if not back) to capture Bin Laden has made him the "worst nightmare" of Al Qaeda. Of course, as ThinkProgress noted, McCain also claims to be the worst nightmare for Hamas, for pork barrel spending and, needless to say, Democrats.

Which means that John McCain's worst nightmare (at least politically) is the prospect that George W. Bush beats him to the gates of hell and catches Osama Bin Laden before November. According to the Sunday Times today, President Bush has ordered American special forces and intelligence assets to do just that.

For all of our sakes, let's hope that goes swimmingly.